Diane Feinstein, former democratic Mayor of San Francisco, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 to fulfill the last 2 years of Pete Wilson's term when he resigned to become governor.
She was reelected by a narrow margin against Republican Michael Huffington in 1994.
Senator Feinstein is a centrist who snubs the outer edges of political ideology.
She broke from the Democratic leadership, voting for a Republican-led constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration.
She persuaded Republican leaders to accept an amendment to a trade bill allowing African countries to produce less expensive, generic AIDS drugs.
She spoke out strongly against President Clinton over the Lewinsky affair and, although unsuccessful, worked hard to censure Clinton.
She is a strong law-enforcement supporter and foe of the gun lobby.
She introduced legislation which would require buyers of handguns and semiautomatic weapons to get licenses.
She proposed a ban on business dealings with foreign companies that are fronts for drug cartels.
During her last campaign, she focused on improving health care, preserving Lake Tahoe, restricting the sale of guns, eliminating the gasoline additive MTBE and bringing together the opposing sides in California's water wars.
She is a strong advocate of patients' rights.
In 1998, at age 64, she was the most popular politician in California and often mentioned as a potential candidate for vice president in 2000.
As the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee's panel on technology, terrorism and government information, she worked to resolve bitter differences over data encryption.
